GREEN | 6 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-6: 17/25 mpg (RWD), 17/24 mpg (4WD) (estimated)
EPA
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8: 14/22 mpg (RWD), 14/20 mpg (4WD); 13/19 mpg, 15 mpg combined (SRT) (estimated)
EPA
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel: 22/30 mpg (RWD); 21/28 mpg (AWD) (estimated)
EPA
The new 8-speed has transformed all the drivetrains, but the oil-burner is still the standout. It makes the V-8 virtually obsolete in terms of torque. With 20% better highway mileage and just a $2300 premium over the V-6, it makes that look far less attractive as well.
Motor Trend
A 1 or 2 mpg gain is nice, but you need to opt for the new 3.0-liter turbocharged Ecodiesel V6 if you want real mpg gains
Edmunds
A new eight-speed automatic does its part to bring the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee up to modern-day gas mileage numbers. Still, anyone truly looking for class-leading driving range will grok to the new Ecodiesel's 30-mpg highway ratings.
The EPA's published figures to date only show the gas-guzzling Grand Cherokee SRT, at a lineup-worst 13 miles per gallon city, 19 miles per gallon highway, or 15 mpg combined. That's still a 1-mpg improvement over last year, all due to the switch up from an old five-speed automatic to a new ZF eight-speed automatic with an eco driving mode. Still, we observed only about 12.4 mpg on a limited drive on mostly flat Texas urban thruways.
On other HEMI-powered and V-6-powered models, mileage rises by a little more. Chrysler estimates the basic Grand Cherokee will now be rated at 17/25 mpg in rear-drive form, or 17/24 mpg with four-wheel drive. With a HEMI, the predictions are for 14/22 mpg (RWD) and 14/20 mpg (4WD). Both are 2 mpg better on the highway cycle. Those numbers are competitive, not with the likes of the Ford Edge or Subaru Outback, but with vehicles like the seven-passenger Ford Flex and the GMC Acadia.
The Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel changes that calculus. It's rated at 22/30 mpg by Chrysler's initial estimates for rear-drive models, or at 21/18 mpg with four-wheel drive. It's more efficient than most five-seat crossovers--sometimes by a substantial margin--and its highway rating is closing in on that of compact vehicles like the Ford Escape and Chevy Equinox, which don't have its massive towing or its off-road capability.
It could be the best Jeep of them all, even. With its 730-mile cruising range, the Ecodiesel doesn't just render the HEMI V-8 an expensive and unnecessary upgrade--it makes us think twice about the Grand Cherokee's base V-6 when a diesel model can be specified for just about $4,500 more on the Limited version and up (from $41,290, in Limited trim).
Conclusion
Fuel economy is excellent with the new EcoDiesel, and there's some improvement in gas-engine models, too.
